FROM DAYS GONE BY

This week’s Memory Jogger, submitted by Janet Richards of Bethany Beach, Del., was taken in the 1940s and pictures Janet’s aunt, Myrtle Alloway. Janet believes the photo was taken in Philadelphia. 20 Years Ago

From The Files Of October 8, 1992

’92

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday, October 6, at the site of the new McConellsburg area senior citizen center off Cito Road just north of the Woodside Apartments in Ayr Township. Excavation work is already under way, and the project is expected to be completed within 120 days.

A total of 6,042 countians are registered to vote in the November 3 presidential election, the largest county voter registration figure since the November 1988 presidential election. Republicans hold a 71-voter edge, with 2,970 Republicans registered, compared to 2,899 Democrats.

President Judge John W. Keller of the Court of Common Pleas, 39th Judicial District, has announced his retirement from the bench effective December 31.

Film stars Paul Newman and his wife, Joanne Woodward, stayed overnight at the Mercersburg Inn over the weekend en route to their home in Connecticut.

No one calls them by their given names, it’s “Skinny” (Orlen) or “OT” (Orville), the Bard twins, who will be celebrating their 75th birthdays on October 14, with a party in the milk house at the family farm on the Peach Orchard Road.

Former countians Isaac Everts of St. Thomas raised a great crop of sweet potatoes in his backyard this year. He is pictured in this issue holding one which weighed nine pounds. Others from his bumper crop weighed seven pounds and five pounds each.

Mr. and Mrs. Fred Sheeder are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Lynda J., to Gregory Strait, son of Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow Strait of Harrisonville.

Richard “Dick” Miller, mailman for Mc- Connellsburg, retired from the U.S. Postal Service last Friday after 31 years of service.

Fulton County had its second auto accident fatality in less than one week and its fifth of the year, on Monday when Ethel Sigel, 73, of Warfordsburg, died when the car she was driving crossed the centerline and crashed into a truck on Route 522 at Websters Mill. The driver of the truck, Charles Seville, 24, of McConnellsburg, and passenger Norman E. Mellott of Big Cove Tannery were not injured.

Fulton County’s newest business, a seven state distributorship for Niagara cyclomassage lounge chairs, beds and other massage equipment, is getting under way this week in the former IGA Supermarket building on North Second Street.

U.S. Rep. Bud Shuster is in Memorial Hospital of Bedford County with several broken ribs and other injuries suffered when the car in which he was riding was involved in a collision with another vehicle on Monday about six miles north of Everett.

The Fulton Fall Folk Festival, during its nine years of existence, has been held in all kinds of weather, even with snow falling one year, but the weatherman is predicting fair weather all weekend for this year’s festivities.

Births at the Medical Center: a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. James McMullen of Needmore, on October 3; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Philip Souders of McConnellsburg on October 4; a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Golden of Warfordsburg on October 4; a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Kim Hovermale of Berkeley Springs on October 5.

Mr. and Mrs. Merwyn Eddy, Needmore, announce the marriage of their daughter, Deborah Dawn, to LeRoy Allen Cauffman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur R. Caufman, Fayetteville, on September 12 in Pleasant Ridge Church of the Brethren, Needmore.

Linda Johnston was united in holy matrimony to James E. Mellott on October 9.

40 Years Ago

From The Files Of October 26, 1972

’72

George C. Eppinger, 51, president judge of Judicial District 39, Fulton and Franklin counties, suffered a heart attack early Monday morning in Bristol, Va., while visiting his daughters who attend college there. He is listed in serious but stable condition in Bristol Memorial Hospital.

Waterfowl hunters are reminded that the duck season will reopen in Pennsylvania on October 26.

Figures released last week by the county commissioners office show that the Democratic Party in Fulton County is heading toward the November election with a lead of 396 over the Republican Party. At the end of the last registration period, 2,643 Democrats were registered in the county, as compared to 2,247 Republicans.

The McConnellsburg Volunteer Fire Co.’s annual Halloween parade will be held Thursday at 7 p.m.

Pennsylvania’s regular small game season will open on Saturday, October 28, at 9 a.m.

W.H. Mellott, chairman of the Fulton County Soil and Water Conservation District, has announced the appointment of Helen Overly as executive assistant for the district.

Marriage licenses: John Fraker of Fort Littleton and Cathy Hess of Hustontown; Thomas Taylor of Hustontown and Edna Knox of Fort Littleton; Dean Strait of Harrisonville and Sharon Culler of McConnellsburg; Duane Ramsey of McConnellsburg and Patti Pittman of McConnellsburg.

Births at the Medical Center: a son to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas L. McMath of Shade Gap on October 14; a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Barry Mellott of McConnellsburg on October 14; a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. James Miller Jr., Fort Littleton, on October 14; a son to Mr. and Mrs. William Elliott, Three Springs, on October 16; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Francis Garlick, Hopewell, on October 17; a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Mills, McConnellsburg, on October 17; a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Gary Daniels, Warfordsburg, on October 17; a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Fredrick Harteis, McConnellsburg, on October 18.

50 Years Ago

From The Files Of November 1, 1962

’62

Residents of the lower end of Fulton County issued an invitation to the directors of the Fulton Industrial Development Association to attend a meeting on Tuesday to form plans to develop the area surrounding Route 70 to cater to tourist trade.

Bids for the general contracting for the new Sagner plant in McConnellsburg will be opened November 9.

Johnnie Knepper and his band will play at the annual Fulton County Medical Center benefit dance at the American Legion on Saturday.

Out of 22 hay samples exhibited by county farmers at the central Pennsylvania hay show on October 25, 17 won awards.

Five generations of the family of 84-yearold Mrs. Lydia Keebaugh of Burnt Cabins are pictured in the issue.

Mr. and Mrs. H. B. Hixson, Crystal Spring, celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on October 22. They have lived their entire life on the farm where they now reside and are the parents of five children.

Frank Skiles suffered a partial amputation of the middle finger of his right hand and chest injuries when he came in contact with a large fan at the Marathon Plant in Chambersburg where he is employed.

A marriage license has been issued to Robert Knepper, Malvern, Pa., and Brenda Crist, Warfordsburg.

Mrs. Michael Black suffered a broken right arm in a fall from a ladder on Saturday.

Mrs. Carl Fraker of town, has been moved from Chambersburg Hospital to Bedford Memorial Hospital where he will undergo surgery. Alan broke his leg in a fall at his home a few weeks ago.

Miss Marjorie Grissinger spent the weekend at Gettysburg, attending the football game and the installation of Gettysburg College’s new president.

Mrs. Martha Black of McConnellsburg is a patient in Maryland General Hospital for observation and treatment.

Births: a son to Mr. and Mrs. James O. Weller of Greencastle on October 16; a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. John W. Mumma of Fort Littleton, on October 16; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Paul C. Mellott, McConnellsburg, on October 17; twin daughters to Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Gracey, Waterfall, October 19; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Harold E. Hershey, Laidig, on October 18; a son to Mr. and Mrs. Merrill Regi, McConnellsburg, October 23; a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Henry, Knobsville, October 25.

Due to the lack of rain in Pennsylvania, there is a good possibility that the hunting season will be postponed. Gov. Fine will have the final say as to whether the season will be closed and state game officials will meet with him this week.

Halloween pranksters are overstepping their bounds this year by tearing down mailboxes and scribbling obscenities on windows. Police have been issued orders to show no leniency for such acts of vandalism.

Edgar H. MacKinlay, son of Dr. and Mrs. E.H. MacKinlay, has been named a member of the student council at Mercersburg Academy.

Mrs. Mildred Fix was installed last week as president of the local American Legion Auxiliary.

Beatrice Young of McConnellsburg was admitted to the Medical Center on Monday night for treatment of an injured knee, which she received when her car crashed into a telephone pole, two miles south of McConnellsburg.

As of October 25, 320 persons in Fulton County were receiving public assistance.

Three McConnellsburg teenagers were admitted to the Medical Center on Sunday evening following an automobile accident south of McConnellsburg. Injured were Dorothea Weller, 14, fractured left foot; Robert Seiders, 15, deep lacerations of chin, face and left hand; and Sarah Helman, 14, lacerations of the let side of the neck. Details of the accident were not listed.

It was disclosed this week that the Medical Center recently received a gift of 400 shares of International Petroleum Ltd. stock from Miss Blanche A. Swope of Harrisonville. The directors have placed the stock in an endowment fund which will be used for the general operation of the hospital.

Pvt. Donald C. Leese, son of Vernon B. Leese of Needmore, recently spent three days at a rest camp in the Korean combat zone. He is serving with the 7th Infantry Division.

The Mercersburg Tannery has made a “voluntary contribution” of $3,000 to the state Fish Commission to offset the cost of fish killed by pollution.

Announcement has been made of the engagement of Leta Black to Reed Feight.

Death: Mrs. Angeline Jay of Bedford County.

70 Years Ago

From The Files OfOctober 29, 1942

’42

Deaths: Verna

Hazel Gutshall of

Hustontown; Dayton O. Mellott of Mercersburg; David William Unger of Greencastle; Lewis Culbertson Mann of Everett.

Coffee rationing, based on one cup a day for each person over 15 years of age, will go into effect on November 28. All retail sales of coffee will be frozen for one week prior to the effective date to permit merchants to stock their shelves.

Nelson Comerer has in his store a piece of wooden pump stock taken from the well of F. McN. Johnston at Workington Farms. The well is 23-feet deep in solid limestone rock. The pump stock was in two sections, split 4 or 5 feet below the surface. The lower portion, which stood in the water, is 24 inches in circumference and perfectly sound. The upper section, 1-foot square, stood 5 feet above the platform, and has decayed. The iron handle is 3 and 2/3 feet long. Mr. Johnston had the pump put in about 1883 by a mechanic from Path Valley. He went to the woods, cut the pine, bore a large hole in each section, spliced them together, inserted an iron rod with a sucker at the bottom and hooked in the handle at the top. Mr. Johnston has not heard of a wood stock pump being made in Fulton County since that time.

The carillon bells at the Mercersburg Academy were silenced last week. Bryon Baker, well known carillonneur at the academy entered the U.S. Army on Saturday. Until his return to Mercersburg, the academy bell will be silent except for an occasional playing by George Hamer, organist at the academy.

Charles Chilcote of Taylor Township has the honor of being the first farmer in Fulton County to officially grow 10 tons of tomatoes on an acre of ground. Growing tomatoes for the Greencastle Packing Co., he not only attained 10 tons but went on to 15 tons and five pounds to the acre. Other Fulton Countians with yields considerably above the average were James Peck of Rock Hill, who picked 26,150 pounds from an acre and a half; Ned R. Knepper of Taylor Township, with 14,695 pounds to the acre; and Brinton C. Wright of Taylor Township with 14,365 pounds per acre.

At noon on Tuesday, county Treasurer H. Chesnut had issued a total of 1,076 hunting licenses so far this year .